The Emergency Department at NCH Healthcare System says it's seeing more little ones coming in with RSV. It's a potentially deadly virus for infants, and cases are rising all across the country.
Harper and Kennedy Prindle just turned one year old, and live in Indiana.
"I still don't know a lot about RSV, but I know what's it done to our family," their dad, Kevin Prindle, said.
RSV is a virus that completely changed the twins' and their parents lives. Last summer, a reporter from our sister station in Indiana talked with Prindle as his twins were in the PICU fighting the virus for two weeks. A year later, he said the Prindle twins take three different medications in the morning and at night. They've had more hospital stays, doctors appointments and trips to the pharmacy. Prindle said doctors blame RSV for his twins' lasting complications.
“It's kind of like a scar every time we have to go, or whenever they have to go back and they have to get hooked up to any type of machine," he said.
For a second year, the hospital where the twins were treated is seeing a bump in RSV cases during the summer.
"Once again, I think we're starting to see a very atypical season," Dr. John Christenson with Riley Hospital for Children said.
He said normally, the virus peaks in the winter, and he’s keeping a watch on the numbers.
"Mitigation strategies that affected sort of the spread of RSV last year are no longer in place," he said.
The Prindle family wants other parents to learn about their story and take this virus seriously.
“Looking back at it, all the days truly just run together. It was just one big incident that you just... the most fun that you just never want to have again," Prindle said.
Dr. Chrisenson said parents should regularly wash their hands and keep their kids away from people who are sick. He also said an RSV vaccine is in development, but it will be awhile before it’s available.
